Sleepless In The Saddle

As mentioned previously, this event was the last piece in my training plan. Sleepless in the Saddle, is exactly what it says on the tin.

It's a 24 hour mountain bike race,  round catton park (also the home of the 24 relay run I'd done in 2009) sponsored by Singletrack magazine and Kenda, it can be done in teams of 4 or 5, solo or pairs. If it wasn't for the big one next week, I'd have been very tempted to do the solo - maybe next year.

Martin was putting a couple of teams in for Kenda, and asked if I'd like to join one of them, and since he'd suggested it as a good pre event event, I snapped up the offer. He was short of a team member so I also asked my friend Ed, who I ride with now and then when we can.

With some jiggery pokery and getting bikes to various places in an attempt to save the planet using fewer vehicles (I'm a bit of a car hating eco warrior you see) we were all set and although not packed I had a pile of shit I'd need for the weekend in a heap on my sofa. The weather has been really changeable this last few weeks, so what it does is anyones guess and means lots of spare kit.

So armed with a gift for martin (see pic) our team captain, my kit and a pair of weary legs, we made our way up to catton park.
















We arrived at camp Kenda and met with he other team members and our bikes awaited us, with brand new super fast Kenda racing tyres.

After some tent erecting and chatting and hanging about, three of us went out to recce the course, we'd been reliably informed that it was dry and quick out there.

The course did not disappoint, it is an 8.4 mile long course with a brilliant mixture of fun twisty, rooty single track, grassy tracks, bomb holes, steep sharp climbs, longer less steep climbs, small amounts of fire road, rooty twisty decents hair pin turns, and as assured, it was really dry and dusty and fast!

I didn't take the recce lap fast  - there was a long 24 hours ahead of us, but I'm glad I did it, to familiarise myself with the course.

Once back at camp, we were given jerseys and race numbers and transponders. The lovely Penny and her lovely son (my future husband) Robbie turned up en route to their holiday destination to say hello and see us off, whilst I was chatting to her, the decision was made that I'd be the one to do the "Le Mans" start!

We only had 4 team members as one of them had pulled out, so it was also decided that I'd be doing 2 laps for our absent member... it pays to not miss the team briefing! The rules stated that each team member had to do 2 laps as a minimum so I'd wear "Bob's" transponder for two laps to make the team legal.

The race was to start at 2pm, with the Le Mans start - an approx half mile run to the bikes which were lined up on the start line. The idea is to spread the field out a little in these big events as it is pretty tight out there on the course.

So my bike was in position and I lined up on the start line with around 600 other bikers, I positioned myself right near the front, this is probably just an old habit from run races of yesteryear.

The countdown was given 3....2....1.... "hooooonk!" went the klaxon., and off went a stampede of cyclists-come-runners all hammering it along in spds and helmets, in the first 10 meters someone was floored, it was pretty aggressive. I ran on , hard, my lungs burning. There had been banter earlier that the run was a mile and a half but I'd seen the race briefing which suggested half a mile, but I was a little prudent with my speed just in case.

Part of me was a bit concerned that I shouldnt get too near the front of the riders anyway as I'm slow and would get in their way. Pah! The whole point of the run is to spread the field, if I end up near the front then I've got there fairly. We stampeded round the run course and rounded some bushes and horse fences and got funelled back towards the startline, I had spotted my bike near the last of the Enduro flags and Martin was there waiting with it.

I put on my helmet and went to get on, Martin said not til after I'd run through the start line. So I pushed it through, mounted and was off.

My heart was pounding and my throat was dry, I immediately necked some water and pedalled hard round the first bend out onto the course where it almost immediately climbs for a few hundred yards, before taking a righthand turn, into a dusty grassy descent, a hairpin turn and then onto a fast flat section.

I pounded the pedals and hit the big ring (the time trialling would come in handy on these sections) I looked at my HRM it was through the roof. I decided it was fine to red line it, I was only doing one lap for now, I'd have time to recover, just get on with it get a good lap in.

The course was busy with riders, I fortunately on the run had got myself in a fairly good position. After the first flat was the first longish steepish climb (its the type which isn't long enough to break you completely but to sap your energy for a while and require you getting in the granny ring and later would be sure to provide misery and bike pushing to many)

Once up this grassy climb, you eventually flatten out - most people I noticed on this section, spun out their legs in the granny ring still getting nowhere, but I was flicking back upto the middle ring and accelerating away. After this you are dropped into the first single track section, it was really dusty due to the hot dry weather of late and it kicked up lots of dust. It was really twisty and required trackstands in places, particularly when it was busy like the first lap.

There were about 4 or 5 sections of singletrack linked with stretches of grass or grass with tracks worn in by frequent riding. Within the sections were a few bomb holes, some steep descents, so sharp ascents, and obviously very narrow.

In one section a girl cut me up on a descent and I found myself impailed on a stake whilst loads of riders streamed past, losing me quite a bit of time. I finally pushed my way back in and kept on. My HR was still high as a kite, but I still pumped the pedals hard. I found my strength to be on the climbs so whenever I found some open space, I put down the hammer and overtook as many people as I could, round hair pins, back into the twisty woods.

After a few linking stages and single track sections there are a couple of sharp ascents, the type that if in the wrong gear or tired will catch you out. Lots of people were stopping to push up but I spun my legs, got over the front of the saddle, narrowed my elbows and powered on up. Rounded the brow, took a right hand turn and into more lovely lovely dry sngletrack. It wound its way through the woods dropping you down onto a grass track, where once more I put the hammer down, up another energy sapping climb, another hair pin and into 3 bombholes which snaked across the field. The hill coming out of the last one was steep and kept catching me out right near the top. (on one occasion, nearly rolling me back down the hill whilst trying to get myself free of the bike)

I was really happy with my riding, I was feeling confident, and completed my first lap in 53 minutes, which was great considering about 3 of them were running/transition and the traffic on the course was very busy!

I passed the baton to Ed who hared off for his first lap. My HR eventually came back down but I realised then I wouldnt be able to do that too many times.

My 2nd lap, was after Richard and Martin had each done one. I sped out the transition area and motored up the first hill. The tires which had been fitted on my bike were really fast, and helping me cover the ground quickly, I felt really confident and was flying round the course, bounding in and out of the trees, powering up the steep sections. This lap I completed in 46 mins, which although I knew I couldnt maintain I was very happy with. Just as I was coming in to finish lap 2 it was starting to rain. Ed was nowhere to be seen. The heavens opened. Ed appeared and set out in the most hideous torrential downpour, whilst the rest of us hid under the gazebo and watched the sheets of rain and hail fall relentlessly down, flooding the camping areas.

Poor Ed. We should have told him to wait 20 mins for it to pass, it wasn't like we were in it to win.

The rain quickly turned the course into a slippery muddy, wet rooted not quite so fun place to ride. Ed reappeared some time later caked in mud, and soaked through. He'd also stacked it on the steepest descent (also here Simon had seen a lady with  a suspiciouslty broken looking leg)

People were coming back from laps with their bikes caked, and the wheels packed out with sticky mud. Faces spattered, some people clearly having fallen off striped with mud. The Hope bikewash suddenly became vey popular.

Richard was off next, then Martin. Whilst they were riding I changed my front tire to a Kenda Blue Groove, to give me more grip on the wet roots.

Reports came back that it was drying out a little in places but some bits in the woods were still really sticky and wet and slippery.

My next two laps were going to be a double, as an Alias "Bob" or Liam Darby as the system told me later. I set off at a steadier pace as I'm not confident on the wet and given I was doing 2 laps it was required to drop the pace a little. Add to this that it was also now pitch black, so donned with a super bright Exposure headlamp and an even brighter Exposure handlebar fitted light, I was illuminating my path. I was tentative though and my confidence wasn't what it was earlier.

The first climb was really slippery so I had to get off and push up. The first few sections of singletrack were horrendous, the roots were treacherous in places and thank god I'd changed the front tire because even with the good grip of that, the rear wheel wanted to slip out from under me. I picked my way carefully through the single track and pushed up the slippery slopes. This first night time wet lap was 1:02 - quite a different story to earlier. But also in mind that I had to do two on the trot I wasn't red lining it and it was nearly midnight!

I went straight back out on the 2nd lap, and within 10 mins my headlamp failed. I didnt twig at first, but when I pointed my head to look at my watch there was no beam so it made sighting where I need to be looking a bit tricky in places the bars weren't yet pointing.

The 2nd lap was a minute or so quicker but I was really struggling on the wet roots, I was putting my foot down often to stop myself falling off or hitting trees. Aside from the wet roots the night laps were extraordinarily fun! It looked great seeing lights shining across fields and through the woods.

I got back and Ed was ready to go off and do his night lap, I had some dinner and a beer then got in my sleeping bag and chatted in the Kenda stand with the other team members. I sat down on the floor then laid down, Ed returned, Richard went out, I set my alarm so I could try and ride about 4am, noone else in our team wanted to do anymore until the next day and a few hours sleep was in order. It was about 1am now, so if I set my alarm for 3.30 I'd get a couple of hours kip. I was out before I knew it, I dozed in and out of conciousness, hearing bits and bobs of conversations. Then woken up by my alarm.

I also wanted to ring my friend to wish him luck on his first Ironman so made a sleepy phonecall and got up. My kit was still damp so I put it in front of the heater for a while to dry off then went to get some porridge and coffee.

I eventually got out around 5am, did another two laps (around 58 mins a piece) and during the 2nd lap got to enjoy the break of dawn, it was such a lovely peaceful time of day, the sun coming up over a hill to my left, the woods, streaked with flashes of sunlight, it was amazing.

I got back to camp to find Martin and some of the "Fast team" wandering about, but the rest of my team still asleep. I went to get more coffee and pondered if I should go and do another lap then.

Martin had hurt his foot so wasn't going to ride anymore so I was asked to wear his transponder for my next lap.

Ed went out for another lap after breakfast then whilst waiting for Richard to get ready asked if he could do a lap on my bike, so he went next, had a storming lap and came back raving about how great my bikes is which I know ;-)

I did a lap as Martin, the course was drying out again now and I was getting a bit of speed back and did 49-50 min lap for "Martin" getting more confident once more now the roots were drying up. My previous two laps I'd really had trouble gettting over the wet roots in the twisty section and was getting frustrated.

My 8th and last lap would be the penultimate one for the team so i decided to put everything I had left into it, I pushed hard from the start, it was windier out there today than yesterday but  I knew this was my last lap, I overtook everyone I came to, and got overtaken my noone, i whizzed up and down the singletrack, nipping in and out of the trees like an imp. I was loving it, I was pushing a big ring for much of it, but still spinning. The flatter straight sections I pushed hard, like I was doing a Time trial. I kept an eye on my watch, I'd really love a 45 min lap but it was getting close.

I pushed and pushed, up and down the last of the bomb holes, quick descent and sprinted hard for the line. My last lap time was 46. I'll take that. Ed put in the final lap, I'm not sure how many we did in total, we didnt come anywhere but had a fantastic time and were well looked after by Martin and the Kenda crew and throughly spoiled to be riding with a group of very talented riders.

I'm really surprised that my legs feel fine now, no soreness at all. I'm pondering a solo attempt next year.........I must be mad.

I've come out of today feeling much more confident now than last week at cwmcarn and cant' wait for next Sunday now! Just a small matter of a large pile of cycling kit to wash now!